Red Lilies
by Paceso
Summary: A "Voldemort wins" AU story, set during the first wizarding war. How might the wizarding world - and especially the Order of the Phoenix? - have been different had Severus Snape been Dumbledore's man all along? An entry for the International Wizarding Schools Competition.


International Wizarding Schools Competition, round 4

Beauxbatons 3rd year

Theme: Voldemort wins AU

Prompts: Red (main); "You know, I didn't see that one coming!" he/she gasped; Swinging on a swing

WC 3104 (excluding quotes and author's notes)

* * *

Author's Note

_ "Karkaroff intends to flee if the Mark burns."  
"Does he?" said Dumbledore softly, as Fleur Delacour and Roger Davis came giggling in from the grounds. "And are you tempted to join him?"  
"No," said Snape, his black eyes on Fleur's and Roger's retreating figures. "I am not such a coward."  
"No," agreed Dumbledore. "You are a braver man by far than Igor Karkaroff. You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon…."  
He walked away, leaving Snape looking stricken._

('The Prince's Tale', Deathly Hallows)

Tasked with writing an AU in which Voldemort wins (not my strongest suit on either count!) I decided to begin from the above quote. I've always felt that Snape's stricken look was at the thought of how differently his life might have turned out had he been Sorted into Gryffindor, and thereby thrown much more closely together with Lily. In this task, though, I also wanted to retain key elements of canon, including Trelawney's prophecy and Harry's existence. Lastly, as a student of magic and religion, I wanted to explore the crisis of leadership which occurs after the death of an organisation's founder – in this case Dumbledore, the Order's founder, leader and orchestrator. I'd set myself an almost-impossible task, to cover all that in 3000 words; I hope I've done it justice.

Readers, please remember: This is an AU, therefore when it comes to how people might have reacted, keep in mind that the lead-up circumstances have not been the same as in canon. For instance, although we see here that Voldemort hears about the prophecy (albeit from Wormtail rather than Snape), it is different from canon in that Dumbledore and the Order did not know that the prophecy had been relayed. Therefore they had no reason to be particularly on their guard against Voldemort's Hallowe'en attack, nor to expect that the intruder would be Voldemort. (And it is possible that there was no _Fidelius_ charm in effect; I have deliberately left that inconclusive.) Likewise, Snape's teenage years have been different enough from canon that his adult self is kinder and more confident, although still with the same iron determination to make his head rule his heart.

Two quotes from the books have been inserted to assist the reader in understanding where the AU diverges (the opening scene), or doesn't diverge (the prophecy), from canon. As per standard academic rules on the use of quotations in original work, they have not been included in the word count.

* * *

Red Lilies

**c.1969** –

_ Two girls were swinging backwards and forwards in a deserted playground, and a skinny boy was watching them from behind a clump of bushes. As he watched, the younger girl let go of her swing at the very height of its arc and launched herself skyward with a shout of laughter, soaring through the air and landing far too lightly… The elder girl shrieked with dismay, but then curiosity overcame her and she asked longingly, "How do you do it?"_

The boy jumped out from behind the bushes. He had waited years for such a moment, secretly watching the girls and painstakingly planning what he might say. At first, conscious of their higher social status, he had not dared to do more than watch. He had merely envied them, Muggles though they were, for their happy lives and loving parents, and hungered for the vicarious pleasure of observing them. The younger girl's dark red hair had tantalised him in his dreams and haunted his imagination.

As he watched them play, though, her magical abilities had become evident and he had begun to fantasise about a day when he might be able to talk to her on an equal footing. The hope of it had made him determined to be brave enough to seize the opportunity when it came, and this was his moment.

.

**1****st**** September 1971** –

"Snape, Severus," called Professor McGonagall, and the boy stepped forward and sat down on the stool, while the teacher placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Hm…very tricky," said a small voice in his ear. "I see you were expecting Slytherin… You've certainly got ambition…plenty of bravery too, and an excellent mind… What's this – red, eh? Red for courage and boldness. Better be…GRYFFINDOR."

At the Gryffindor table, Sirius gasped. "You know, I didn't see _that_ one coming!"

Beside him, James groaned with horror. "You know what this means, don't you? He'll be in our dormitory, too!"

.

**1974** –

Lily and Severus ran down the grass toward the lake.

"Tell me the surprise, Sev," Lily pleaded.

"Don't be so red-headedly impatient," he teased her.

He took her to a sturdy oak tree, and she looked at it, puzzled.

"Still don't see the surprise?" he asked, provokingly. She shook her head.

"How about now?" he said, waving his wand.

A broad swing appeared, its strong ropes tied firmly around the sturdiest branch. Lily giggled as she thought of a way to return his teasing.

"I can't see anything," she said, with a sigh. Severus looked taken aback for a moment, and then saw the twinkle in her eye.

"Wretch!" he laughed. Then he lifted her onto the swing and seated himself beside her. "I remembered you used to love swinging when you were younger, and I always wanted to join in."

.

**November 1977** –

Lily raised her head from the prefects' roster she was drafting. "You're different now, James; did you know?"

James Potter looked up, surprised. Since being made Head Boy and Head Girl together, he and Evans had become much more friendly, but this was the first time she'd made such a personal comment.

"In what way?" he queried.

"You're not as arrogant," she returned promptly. "And you're much kinder. You used to do the things that you knew everyone most hated, and not care in the slightest how anyone felt about it."

James looked at her. "I-it was because of Mum's and Dad's deaths," he said, honestly. "I'd always thought I had so much time to become what they wanted me to be, and then they went – so quickly." He swallowed. "I realised that they'd never see me grow up, but I knew they'd want me to."

Lily reached a hand across and squeezed his sympathetically. She could hear the pain behind his words, and she had never liked him so well as at that moment, when he admitted his vulnerability to her.

From across the room, Severus watched them with anguish. He was determined not to let jealousy erode his friendship with Lily, but it was excruciating for him to see her growing connection with James, against whom she had protected him for so long.

.

**Early 1980** –

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._"

.

**August 1980** –

Albus Dumbledore, standing with his back to the empty fireplace in the Potters' living room, looked at the assembled Order members. James and Lily were together on one sofa, Alice and Frank Longbottom occupied the other. Remus was perched uncomfortably on the arm of a chair in which Sirius was lounging. Peter Pettigrew was squatting on the humpy beside the fireplace. Severus Snape was seated on the floor, his hands clasped around his knees and his lank black hair flung back.

"Thank you all for being here at such short notice," Dumbledore began. "You may be wondering why the whole Order isn't present, but I have information that particularly relates to James, Lily, Frank and Alice."

They looked at him questioningly.

"A prophecy was made a few months ago, and officially recorded in the Department of Mysteries, about a child who will have the power to defeat Lord Voldemort." Everyone gasped, and Dumbledore continued, "The details in the prophecy lead us to believe it refers to one or other of your sons. The child was described as a boy born at the end of July, to parents who have defied Lord Voldemort three times. Both your children fit the criteria."

Frank Longbottom spoke. "Do you have any idea yourself, Albus, which child is meant?"

Dumbledore turned to him. "I am in two minds, Frank. We know that Voldemort values purebloods, which could lead him to think your child could become a worthy opponent. Against that, James and Lily's child is, like Voldemort himself, a halfblood, and he may assume that an opponent would be of similar heritage."

Severus put in a word. "Is there nothing else to go on?"

Dumbledore said slowly, "There is one other point, yes. The prophecy seems to indicate that Voldemort himself will, in some way, choose the child and mark him out."

.

**July 1981** –

"M-milord," squeaked Pettigrew, trembling. "I come to offer myself in your service."

Lord Voldemort frowned at him. "What makes you think I desire anyone who has been faithful to Dumbledore?"

"I – I have been wrong to follow Dumbledore, milord. As soon as I saw my error, I sought to join you. In token of my good intentions, I am willing to disclose the details of a prophecy which is of supreme importance to your Lordship. It concerns an enemy with the power to defeat you."

Voldemort started, but then laughed scornfully. "Dumbledore himself has not tried to defeat me, even though some say he is the most powerful wizard in the world. Who do they suggest might be more powerful than he?"

"A-a child, milord. One of two children, but they do not know which one."

Voldemort sneered. "A child, more powerful than I? Dumbledore must indeed be desperate."

Pettigrew hastened to convince him with more detail. "The prophecy mentioned a boy born at the end of last July, milord, to parents who have defied you three times. They are saying that either the Longbottom or the Potter baby is the one, and that he would have power you did not know."

The last phrase arrested Voldemort's attention. He craved power above all things, and although he had even pushed power over death to its limits he was always alert to anything that might add to his abilities. He considered Pettigrew thoughtfully.

"And – they do not know to which boy the prophecy refers?" he asked slowly.

"No, milord. Dumbledore thought that the Potter boy, being halfblood, might – " He trailed off at Voldemort's frown.

"Trust Dumbledore to favour the halfblood," mocked Voldemort, but his thoughts were busy. He knew Dumbledore's uncanny prescience all too well. If Dumbledore thought the Potter boy was the subject of the prophecy, he was probably right. After all, he himself – the greatest wizard ever known – was a halfblood, much though he despised his Muggle ancestry. He could not risk ignoring the threat, no matter whence it came.

.

**31****st**** October 1981** –

James jiggled his small son on his knee as he heard the front gate creak open. "That'll be Mummy coming home," he sang, and Harry bounced with excitement.

"Mum-mum," he crowed.

"He's always like this when Lily goes out," laughed James to Dumbledore, who was visiting. Then something unfamiliar about the footsteps outside caught their attention. Even Dumbledore knew those were not Lily's quick, light steps.

The front door burst open, and the two men leapt to their feet. They reached the hallway just as Voldemort entered. Dumbledore instantly turned and cast a protective spell on the toddler. Voldemort seized his brief advantage, and a flash of green hit the older wizard. A second flash despatched James, who had not waited to pick up his wand. The two men dropped to the floor like discarded puppets.

Voldemort looked down triumphantly at the crumpled form of the wizard he had secretly feared ever since their long-ago meeting at the orphanage. Then he stepped over the bodies and looked for the child. It was the child he needed. The child, who possessed some unknown power that he was determined to discover and take to himself. Much though he disliked the prospect, it would be necessary to keep the brat until its usefulness had expired. Bellatrix would rear it, and he would make sure that everyone knew it was inviolate.

.

**3****rd**** November 1981** –

The Daily Prophet

_ Last night Lord Voldemort took official possession of the Ministry of Magic and declared himself leader of the magical world. All department heads have been replaced with Death Eaters, and a reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of any dissident._

_ "I am delighted to have this opportunity to lead the magical world," said Lord Voldemort, as he made the announcement. "Under my rule, magical people will now be allowed to exercise their powers without restraint. The Statute of Secrecy has been abolished, and so-called 'Dark Magic' will no longer be punished. Over the coming weeks I will be offering a free pardon to those imprisoned in Azkaban for such offences in the past."_

_ Lord Voldemort also emphasised his regard for all wizards and witches, whether pureblood or not. "It has been said that I value purebloods only, and that Muggleborns and even halfbloods are not welcome under my regime. This is untrue. In order to prove my open-mindedness, I have selected a halfblood child to be brought up within my intimate circle. His magical antecedents are excellent, and he will be given every advantage in order to show that even a child with Muggle ancestry can become a powerful wizard. His official title is 'Harry, the Chosen Child', and he will be addressed as 'Chosen Harry'. His guardian will be Bellatrix Lestrange, and in recognition of her devoted service in this and other matters, she shall henceforth be known as Lady Bellatrix."_

Severus's heart sank as he read. Since arriving in answer to Lily's urgent summons three days earlier, he had tried to shield her from hurtful speculation about James' and Dumbledore's deaths, but this awful news could not be hidden. He handed the newspaper to Lily and put a comforting arm around her as she read.

Lily devoured the article and then burst into tears. Her worst fears had been realised. She had hoped desperately that Harry had somehow escaped Voldemort, but now all such hope was gone. He was alive, it was true, but she almost thought he would be better dead than this.

Severus silently offered her a handkerchief and she took it blindly. It was some time before she could quell her sobs.

Eventually she spoke, her voice muffled. "I have to get him back."

Severus hesitated. He knew Lily wouldn't want to leave Harry with Voldemort and Bellatrix a moment longer than she could help, but his natural caution led him to consider Harry's recovery as part of a larger strategic action.

"We'll call a meeting, Lily," he said prudently. "There's no sense in rushing into something and failing; it would only put Voldemort on his guard and increase the security around Harry."

She nodded unwillingly. "I suppose you're right; I'd probably jump in and make a mess of it. Sev, you've been a godsend to me these past few days – I don't know how I'd have managed without you."

He smiled at her. "We're friends, Red. I'm always here for you."

Lily was comforted by his use of the familiar nickname. Throughout their friendship Severus had affectionately teased her about her red hair, and pretended to be afraid of the temper he said must go with it. In the midst of her distress, it was a reminder that not everything in her life had been taken away.

Severus cleared his throat. "There's something you should know. Wait here a moment."

She looked after him wonderingly as he disappeared upstairs, where she heard him rummaging in the guest bedroom. A few minutes later he returned and placed a wand in her hands.

She looked at it without recognition for a moment, and then realisation dawned. "Sev! Isn't this – ?"

"Dumbledore's old wand, yes."

"But I thought he'd lost it. When I noticed a couple of months ago that he had a new one, he said he didn't know where it was."

Severus smiled at the typical Dumbledore equivocation. "Well, that was true, because he didn't know where I was keeping it, but he gave it to me to look after. What he said was, 'Keep this for the child who will defeat Voldemort. It is a very powerful wand, with unusually strong allegiance to its owner. It has been the source of my potency, and I think it may be the "power that the Dark Lord knows not", of which the prophecy spoke. It must be either forcibly won or freely given, and I give it now to the chosen child, once it becomes clear which of them that is.' " Then he added, "I think there's no doubt now that Harry is that child. Remember the prophecy said that Voldemort himself would choose the child and mark him out?"

He pointed to the penultimate sentence of the _Daily Prophet_ article. Lily's eyes filled with tears again at the thought of her beloved Harry in the clutches of such evil.

"Please, Sev, let's call a meeting," she begged. "I can't bear Harry being with – with _Him_."

Severus, his heart warmed by Lily's reliance on him, acquiesced readily. Their long friendship had naturally been somewhat constrained by James's presence, but with his death their former closeness was returning. Severus would not admit, even to himself, that a small part of him was glad that James was dead.

.

**4****th**** November 1981** –

The Order's meeting was getting heated.

"What use is it keeping on going now?" shouted Aberforth. "Albus is gone, Voldemort's in charge – it'll just be more deaths and torture for no possible benefit."

A babble of voices all tried to answer him at once, and Lily put her hands over her ears.

"Whatever yeh say, Goaty, _I'm_ not givin' up." Hagrid's loud voice carried easily over the others, as he glared at Aberforth. "Yeh've been told abou' the prophecy – who's ter say it's all over yet?"

"But the boy is in Voldemort's hands," interjected Edgar Bones. "And he's only a baby, anyway. What chance is there that he'll be on our side when he's old enough to be of any use, after being brainwashed by them?"

"What about me, then?" demanded Sirius. "I was born into a Death Eater family, and you could say I was pretty thoroughly brainwashed, but here I am."

Bones acknowledged his point. Then Alice Longbottom spoke up in her gentle voice.

"If we're going to keep on with the Order, we have to agree, don't we, on what we're fighting for, and what our plan should be?"

She looked around at them. They were good fighters, one and all, but the assortment of dominant personalities often resulted in clashes amongst themselves. One by one they reluctantly assented, and she went on, "I think we need a leader. Albus is gone, but we need someone to work out strategy and coordinate our action. It has to be someone with a cool head, very skilled, and brave enough to have earned our respect."

They all nodded again, more readily this time.

"Good." She smiled at them. "Shall we vote? Close your eyes, hover a red flag above the head of the person you think is best, and we'll count them after a minute."

A minute later they all opened their eyes. A few stray flags floated over a couple of heads, but most of them were clustered above Severus Snape.

"_No!_" exclaimed Sirius violently.

Severus looked at him coolly. "It is the vote of the Order – are you going to defy it?" he asked.

Lily whispered pleadingly to Sirius and he pulled a face at her, then said ungraciously, "I suppose not."

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement before sitting up a little straighter. "The first thing we need to decide, then, is whether to mount a rescue attempt on Harry in the immediate future."

"Oh, _please_!" implored Lily. "I can't bear to lose Harry as well as James."

"And no-one can say my dear cousin will make a good mother," put in Sirius sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, neither of those factors should weigh in the decision," Remus interposed quietly. "We have to think of the long-term ramifications. Is it better to leave Harry where he is – protected and fêted by Voldemort – until he's old enough to fight against him, or to recover him now and risk his safety by incurring Voldemort's vengeance?"

The babble broke out anew as everyone sought to express their opinion, but it soon became clear that the feeling of the group was in favour of leaving Harry where he was for now. Lily grew desperate as she saw her hopes of rescuing him slipping away. She appealed to each of them, her hands outstretched in supplication, but they shook their heads.

"And what does our new leader say?" challenged Sirius mockingly, for he knew that Severus would not want to appear heartless to Lily.

Severus looked at him coldly. "I believe the group has made the right decision," he said brusquely.

Lily gave a cry of anguish. She had hoped for Severus's support, at least. He turned to her and spoke gently, "I'm sorry, Red, but you must see that Harry is safer for now if we leave him where he is."

But even as he said the words, he knew that she would not – could not – see it, and he could think of nothing that would convince her. He foresaw many fruitless hours of argument ahead, and sighed inwardly. How different this was from his childhood imaginings of growing up with Lily, and where had that desire for bravery led him? As he turned back to the Order's tumultuous discussion, he wished heartily that Dumbledore had never relinquished his wand.


End file.
